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Rhodotorula mucilaginosa is an antagonistic yeast for which our research team has recently reported interesting biocontrol activities against blue mould decay of apples and a strong ability to decr...

Hydrophobic associating polymer was synthesized by aqueous polymerization of acrylamide, 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid and hydrophobic monomer octadecyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (C18DMAAC) by aqueous phase polymerization with potassium persulfate sodium bisulfite oxidation–reduction initiation. The structure of the polymer was characterized by FTIR and TGA, the effect of hydrophobic monomer on the properties of polymer powder in deionized water and salt was investigated. The salt resistance, temperature resistance and shear resistance of the diluent were studied by Brinell viscometer and rheometer when the copolymer was diluted to 1500 ppm in deionized water. The results showed that the solubility of the polymer decreased with the addition of C18DMAAC, the salt resistance and temperature resistance increased significantly. The total salinity of the copolymer was 25,000 mg/L at 68 ℃, and the viscosity under 1500 mg/L calcium and magnesium ions was more than 20 mPa s. After 120 min shearing, the viscosity of the polymer solution with hydrophobic monomer is more than 900 mPa s, and the viscosity retention rate is more than 90%.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a major liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. The current standard of care for CHC can achieve cure rates above 95%; however, the drugs in current use are administered for a period of 8-16 weeks. A combination of safe and effective drugs with a shorter treatment period is highly desirable. We report synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of 2',3'- and 2',4'-substituted guanosine nucleotide analogues. Their triphosphates exhibited potent inhibition of the HCV NS5B polymerase with IC50 as low as 0.13 μM. In the HCV replicon assay, the phosphoramidate prodrugs of these analogues demonstrated excellent activity with EC50 values as low as 5 nM. A lead compound AL-611 showed high levels of the nucleoside 5'-triphosphate in vitro in primary human hepatocytes and in vivo in dog liver following oral administration.

For a new type of thermomechanical controlled process steel, when stress intensity factor was about 32 MPa m1/2, several slip bands with different orientations occurred in cyclic plastic zone. Some slip bands had strong interaction with dominant crack, which led to crack bifurcation and aggregation. After that, electron back-scattered diffraction technique was employed to evaluate the cyclic plasticity effect on crystallographic features of kernel average misorientation (KAM), strain distribution and fraction of different categories of grains for fatigue loading sample in crack tip zone. Before fatigue loading, KAM distribution map revealed relatively homogeneous plastic deformation and few grains displayed distortion based on strain distribution map. After fatigue loading, KAM showed higher cyclic plasticity in the middle, and lower value on both sides. Strain network structure formed. Meanwhile, when fatigue loading was executed, proportion of recrystallized grains had a little variation from 3.15 to 5.58%. Ratio of substructured grains increased to 19.63%, and deformed grains reduced to 74.79%.

In the present study, the neurotoxicity and mechanisms of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure on pubertal normal (P-normal) and pubertal type 2 diabetes mellitus (P-T2DM) mice were investigated by typical neurobehavioral methods and transcriptome analysis. Pubertal male ICR mice were orally exposed to DEHP (0.18, 1.8, 18 and 180 mg/kg/d) for 3 weeks. In Open field test, DEHP significantly increased the time in central area staying and decreased the total distance and clockwise (CW) rotation of P-normal and P-T2DM mice. Morris water maze showed that DEHP significantly increased the latency in locating platform and decreased the original platform quadrant and residence time in target quadrant of P-normal and P-T2DM mice. Transcriptome analysis results revealed the effects of DEHP exposure on neural signaling pathway including biogenic amines neurotransmitters, nerve receptors, neurobiological processes, etc. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting results showed that DEHP significantly decreased the contents of 5-HT, cAMP, GABA and Ca2+, the levels of CREB, phosphorylation of PKA, ERK1/2 and CREB, increased the levels of CaM and phosphorylation of CaMKII in P-normal and P-T2DM mice. Factorial analysis results showed that P-T2DM mice were more sensitive than those of P-normal mice. The potential neurotoxicity mechanism of DEHP may be synergistically mediated by the cAMP-PKA-ERK1/2-CREB signaling and the Ca2+ signaling pathway.

In this study, the immature mice were taken to assess the potential neurological toxicity of lead (Pb) and di (n-butyl) phthalates (DBP) combination exposure. Mouse administration with DBP combination with Pb exhibited longer escape latency and lower average number of crossing of the platform. Pb content in the tissues was increased, especially in the brain, after Pb exposure as compared to those without Pb exposure. The alterations of oxidative damages in tissues (MDA and SOD) and biochemical indicators in the brain (AChE, TNOS, and iNOS) were observed, as well as the synergistic effect of joint exposure. Expressions of apoptosis-related protein (bax/bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3) were significantly increased in the hippocampus, while the bcl-2 was remarkably decreased and no significant differences were observed on the bax. The results suggested that the possible mechanisms for the learning and memory ability impairments were as follows: Firstly, the combination exposure induced the occurrence of lipid peroxidation in the brain, leading to damage to the brain cells. Secondly, it destroyed the normal metabolic balance of ACh, causing nerve damage in mice. Thirdly, it induced apoptosis in mouse hippocampal cells. The overall findings revealed that Pb and DBP co-exposure greatly influenced the developmental nervous system and accompanied with synergistic toxic effect.

The two-dimensional black phosphorous (2D BP) was synthesized by a novel cryo-mediated liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE). 2D Black phosphorous/2D carbon nitride (2D BP/2D C3N4) as a dual-functional photocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution with the simultaneous photodegradation of bisphenol A (BPA) organic pollutants has been designed and synthesized. The as-prepared 5% 2D BP/2D C3N4 sample shows the best photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 259.04 μmol·g−1·h−1and BPA degradation rate of 88% under light irradiation, which derives from the strong electronic coupling between 2D BP and 2D C3N4, the matched band structure and high charge mobility of 2D BP and 2D C3N4. This work provides an effective way for achieving the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater coupled with the simultaneous generation of fuel energy.

This work is a premier demonstrating the technical feasibility of remediation of PAHs-contaminated soil by g-C3N4/Fe3O4. g-C3N4/Fe3O4 has been synthesized by typical two steps involved the synthesis of g-C3N4 and the subsequent in situ co-precipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. g-C3N4/Fe3O4 exhibits excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity for the degradation of phenanthrene in soil at circumneutral pH. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of g-C3N4/Fe3O4 should be attributed to the hybrid of Fe3O4 and g-C3N4 and appropriate Fe3O4 loading amount can improve not only the visible light absorption ability but also the separation of the photo-induced electron-hole pairs. The phytotoxicity evaluation, a preliminary ecological risk assess, was conducted on lettuce cultivation experiments. Base on the data of growth indexes including seeds germination percentage, root length, leaf length, and fresh weight of lettuce, it can be conclude that photocatalytic oxidation based on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 provide a mild oxidation process to degrade the phenanthrene from contaminated soil and there is no negative impact on the growth of lettuce. This work definitely demonstrates that this soil remediation method based on g-C3N4/Fe3O4 is technologically feasible and has immense potential in the application of remediation of organic pollutant contaminated soils.

The dual channels ion imprinted POPD-CoFe2O4 heterojunction photocatalyst (magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst) was synthesized by utilizing the microwave-assisted ion imprinting technique. The as-prepared photocatalyst can selectively reduce Cu2+ owing to abundant Cu2+ imprinted cavities existed in the imprinted layer and Cu2+ was rapidly reduced by e− in POPD, the ions selectivity coefficient (kions) of Cu2+ to other ions over magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst was 11.495 (kions (Cu2+/Cd2+)), 4.716 (kions (Cu2+/Fe3+)) and 15.910 (kions (Cu2+/Zn2+)), respectively, and the materials selectivity coefficient (kmaterials) of magnetic ion imprinted heterojunction photocatalyst relative to other materials was 4.998, 2.545, 10.474 and 4.918, respectively, both showed excellent selectivity. Furthermore, with the existence of mesoporous in the imprinted layer, tetracycline can easily contact with CoFe2O4 and further be degraded by h+ in CoFe2O4. Consequently, selective reduction of Cu2+ and simultaneous degradation of tetracycline can be realized via the dual channels of imprinted cavity and mesoporous. More importantly, the heterojunction structure formed between CoFe2O4 and POPD effectively separated e− and h+, which greatly promoted the photocatalytic activity of selective reduction of Cu2+ and simultaneous degradation of tetracycline. With an enhanced stability for recyling, this work provided a high-efficient and economic technical approach for selective reduction of specific heavy metal ions and simultaneous degradation of organic contaminant in complex water environment.

The effect of industrial activities on trace metals in farmland of rapidly industrializing regions in developing countries has increasingly been a concern to the public. Here, soils were collected from 13 greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) farms or bases near industrial areas in the Yangtze River Delta of China to investigate the occurrence, speciation, and risks of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ni, and Pb in GVP soil. The results revealed that the main metal elements causing GVP soil pollution were Cd, Zn, Ni, and Cu, of which contamination levels were generally unpolluted to moderately polluted. Zinc pollution was mainly attributed to heavy fertilization, while Cd, Ni, and Cu pollution may be greatly ascribed to industrial effluents and coal combustion. Metal speciation studies showed that most of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn was present in residual fraction while more than half of Cd and Pb was present in non-residual fractions. Additionally, pollution of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn in GVP soil increased their corresponding mobile fractions. Risk assessment using potential ecological risk index and risk assessment code showed that Cd was the major risk contributor. Specifically, Cd generally posed moderate or considerable ecological risk as well as displayed medium or high mobility risk in GVP soil. Thus, great attention should be paid to the contribution of both industrial discharges and intensive farming to soil pollution by trace metals, especially Cd, because of its high mobility risk.

A competitive immunosensor was established using an electrochemical amperometric strategy for sensitive detection of tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA-DHEE), an important derivative of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). In this system, the amplified electrochemical signal towards the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was recorded by amperometric method. Meanwhile, the synthetized catalase functionalized AuNPs-loaded self-assembled polymer nanospheres showed an excellent electrocatalytic ability to catalyse H2O2, which was beneficial for strengthening the electrochemical signals. Under the optimized conditions, this method displayed: (i) low detection limits (0.12 ng/mL, 7 times lower than the traditional ELISA with the same antibody); (ii) satisfactory accuracy (recoveries, 78–124%; RSD, 2.1–8.3%) and good agreement with the corresponding ELISA; (iii) low sample consumption (6 μL) and low cost. The proposed approach was applied for investigation of TBBPA-DHEE from environmental waters, and our results indicated that this immunosensor has great potential to detect the trace pollutants in aquatic environments.

The suppression of the recombination of electrons and holes (e–h) and the enhancement of the light absorption of semiconductors are two key points toward efficient photocatalytic degradation. Here, we report a few-layer g-C3N4/α-MoO3 nanoneedles (flg-C3N4/α-MoO3 NNs) all-solid-state Z-scheme mechanism photocatalyst synthesized via a typical hydrothermal method in a controlled manner. The recombination of the photo-induced e–h pairs could be effectively restrained by the Z-scheme passageway between the flg-C3N4 and α-MoO3 NNs in the composite, which could also promise a high redox ability to degrade pollutants. And it became possible for the prepared photocatalyst to absorb light in a wide range of wavelengths. The detailed mechanism was studied by electron spin-resonance spectroscopy (ESR). The low-dimensional nanostructure of the two constituents (α-MoO3 NNs with one-dimensional structure and flg-C3N4 with two-dimensional structure) endowed the composite with varieties of excellent physicochemical properties, which facilitated the transfer and diffusion of the photoelectrons and increased the specific surface area and the active sites. The 10 wt% flg-C3N4/α-MoO3 NNs showed the best photocatalytic performance toward RhB degradation, the rate of which was 71.86%, ∼2.6 times higher than that of α-MoO3 NNs.

For developing highly selective and sensitive electrochemical sensors for chiral recognition, taking advantage of the synthetical properties of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD, strong host-guest recognition) and carbon nanotubes wrapped with reduced graphene oxide (CNTs@rGO, excellent electrochemical property and large surface area), as well as the differences in binding affinity between β-CD and guest molecules, a dual signal electrochemical sensing strategy was proposed herein for the first time in chiral recognition based on the competitive host-guest interaction between probe and chiral isomers with β-CD/CNTs@rGO. As a model system, rhodamine B (RhB) and phenylalanine enantiomers (d- and l-Phe) were introduced as probe and target enantiomers, respectively. Due to the host-guest interactions, RhB can enter into the β-CD cavity, showing remarkable oxidation peak current of RhB. In the presence of l-Phe, competitive interaction with the β-CD cavity occurs and RhB are replaced by l-Phe owing to the stronger binding affinity between l-Phe and β-CD, which results in the peak current of RhB decreasing and the peak current of l-Phe appears, and interestingly, the changes of both signals linearly correlate with the concentration of l-Phe. As for d-Phe, it cannot replace RhB owing to the weaker binding affinity between d-Phe and β-CD. Based on this, a dual-signal electrochemical sensor was developed successfully for recognizing Phe. This dual-signal sensing strategy can provide highly selective and sensitive recognition compared to single-signal sensor and has important potential applications in chiral recognition.

Rare earth (RE3+ = Y3+ and Nd3+) alkali (M+ = Na+ or Li+) tetrafluoride nanocrystals adopt various morphologies and crystal structures depending on the M+-RE3+ size compatibility and Nd3+ concentration. This in turn affects the downconversion NIR luminescence and photothermal properties of the nanocrystals. For NaOH precursor, hexagonal NaNdxY1-xF4 nanocrystals are formed from the initially created cubic NaNdxY1-xF4 nanocrystals, whereas for LiOH precursor, tetragonal LiNd0.03Y0.97F4 nanocrystals are obtained. Due to the large size mismatch between Li+ and Nd3+, unstable LiNdxY1-xF4 undergoes phase separation to form either orthorhombic or hexagonal NdxY1-xF3 nanocrystals upon increasing the Nd3+ concentration. The latter dominates when Nd3+ is the majority rare earth element in the host matrix. NaNdxY1-xF4 nanocrystals display better luminescence and photothermal properties as compared to their Li+-based counterparts and the inverse relationship between emission and light-to-heat conversion efficiencies is exploited for anti-counterfeiting purposes. In this case, patterns deposited on different substrates (e.g., glass and Teflon) using Nd3+-concentrated nanocrystals, with efficient light-to-heat conversion and poor NIR luminescence properties, exhibit bright thermal and dim emission images when irradiated with 808 nm light. On the other hand, areas printed with Nd3+-diluted nanocrystals display dim thermal and bright emission images. Such anti-counterfeiting labels with opposite thermal and NIR emission displays provide enhanced security.

Pharmacological interventions for effective treatment require opportune, dynamic and accurate manifestation of pathological status. Traditional clinical techniques relying on biopsy-based histological examinations and blood tests are dramatically restricted due to their invasiveness, unsatisfactory precision, non-real-time reporting and risk of complications. Although current strategies through molecular imaging enable non-invasive and spatiotemporal mapping of pathological changes in intact organisms, environment-activatable, sensitive and quantitative sensing platforms, especially for dynamic feedback of the therapeutic response, are still urgently desired in practice. Herein, we innovatively integrate deep-tissue penetrable multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) and near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging based technology by tailoring a free radical-responsive chromophore with photon-upconverting nanocrystals. During the therapeutic process, the specific reactions between the drug-stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and radical-sensitive probes result in an absorption shift, which can be captured by MSOT. Meanwhile, the radical-triggered reaction also induces multispectral upconversion luminescence (UCL) responses that exhibit the opposite trend in comparison to MSOT. Such reversed-ratiometric dual-modal imaging outcomes provide an ideal cross-referencing system that guarantees the maximum sensing specificity and sensitivity, thus enabling precise disease biology evaluation and treatment assessments in vivo., NIR photoacoustic and upconversion luminescent nanoprobe-facilitated cross-referencing manifestation of oxidative stress-induced liver pathophysiology for dynamic therapeutic response assessment.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is considered as one of the most widely used phthalate esters (PAEs), which has attracted worldwide concerns because of its potential threats to eco-environments and human health. Systematic investigations of DBP environmental occurrence contribute to the further risk assessment, which depends on effective and available analytical methods. In this study, an amplified ratiometric fluorescence ELISA was established for sensitive and high-throughput detection of DBP in the aquatic system based on a novel tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN)-scaffolded-DNAzyme (Tetrazyme). Wherein, Tetrazyme was prepared by the precise folding of G-quadruplex sequence on three vertex angles of the TDN, together with hemin as the horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mimicking enzyme. The rigid TDN avoided the local overcrowding effect to provide a reasonable spatial spacing on the interface for G-quadruplex sequence, increasing the collision chance between DNAzyme and substrates, improving the catalytic ability of DNAzyme effectively. Besides, streptavidin (SA) and biotin (bio) were used to anchor TDN and antibody, in which the specific binding of SA/bio could make more Tetrazyme conjugate on each signal element, resulting in the dual signal amplification. Meanwhile, the accuracy and precision were enhanced owing to the inherent built-in rectification to the environment from the dual output ratiometric fluorescence assay. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit of this proposed method was 0.17 ng/mL (16 times lower than that of conventional ELISA using the same antibody) with a satisfactory accuracy (recoveries, 79.0%- 116.2%; CV, 2.1-6.5%). Overall, this platform provides a promising way for accurate, sensitive and rapid determination of DBP from environmental waters.

Residues of the psychoactive drug diazepam (DZP) may pose potential risks to fish in aquatic environments, especially by disrupting their behavioral traits. In this study, female and male zebrafish were subjected to chronic exposure (21 days) to sublethal doses (120 and 12 µg/L) of DZP, aimed to compare the characteristics of their behavioral responses to DZP exposure, and to investigate the possible links between those behavioral responses and variations in their brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels. Chronic exposure to DZP significantly decreased the swimming velocity and locomotor activity of both genders, indicating a typical sedative effect. Compared with males, whose locomotor activity was only significantly decreased by exposure to DZP for 21 days, females became hypoactive on day 14 (i.e., more sensitive), and they developed tolerance to the hypoactive effect induced by 120 μg/L DZP by day 21. Exposure to DZP significantly disturbed the behavioral traits related to social interactions in females but not in males. Those results indicate that DZP exhibits sex-dependent effects on the behaviors of fish. Moreover, exposure to DZP for 21 days significantly disturbed almost all of the tested behavioral traits associated with courtship when both genders were put together. Sex-dependent responses in brain GABA and AChE levels due to DZP exposure were also identified. Significant relationships between the brain GABA/AChE levels and some behavioral parameters related to locomotor activity were detected in females, but not in males.

The tetC gene has been found to be one of the most widely distributed tetracycline resistance (tet) genes in various environmental niches, but the detailed dissemination mechanisms are still largely unknown. In the present study, 11 tetC-containing Aeromonas media strains were isolated from an aerobic biofilm reactor under oxytetracycline stresses, and the genome of one strain was sequenced using the PacBio RSII sequencing approach to reveal the genetic environment of tetC. The tetC gene was carried by an IS26 composite transposon, named Tn6434. The tetC-carrying Tn6434 structure was detected in all of the A. media strains either in a novel plasmid pAeme2 (n=9) or other DNA molecules (n=2) by PCR screening. The NCBI database searching result shows that this structure was also present in the plasmids or chromosomes of other 13 genera, indicating the transferability of Tn6434. Inverse PCR and sequencing confirmed that Tn6434 can form a circular intermediate and is able to incorporate into a preexisting IS26 element, suggesting that Tn6434 might be responsible for the dissemination of tetC between different DNA molecules. This study will be helpful in uncovering the spread mechanism of tet genes in water environments.

Two Pt complexes with high quantum yields and photostability, and low cytotoxicity, were developed to track RNA G-quadruplexes (GQs) in live cells. Higher number and intensity, and longer lifetime of fluorescent foci in cancer cells than those in healthy cells suggest that the quantity and folding dynamics of RNA GQs could not only correlate to their biological functions, but be two novel biomarkers to characterize cancerous cells.

Polysulfide anions are endowed with unique redox properties, attracting considerable attentions for their applications in alkali metals-sulfur batteries. However, the employment of these anionic species in redox catalysis for small molecule synthesis remains underdeveloped due to their moderate-poor electrochemical potential in the ground state, whereas some of them are characterized by photoabsorptions in visible spectral regions. Herein, we disclose the use of polysulfide anions as visible light photoredox catalysts for aryl cross-coupling reactions. The reaction design enables single-electron reduction of aryl halides upon the photoexcitation of tetrasulfide dianions (S42-). The resulting aryl radicals are engaged in (hetero)biaryl cross-coupling, borylation, and hydrogenation in a redox catalytic regime involving S4• -/S42- and S3• -/S32- redox couples. Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Accepted version Financial support was provided by Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (A*STAR, SERC A19B3a0014).

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP) have been reported to exhibit reproductive toxicity in vertebrates. However, the combined effect of DBP and DiBP on offspring of exposed parents remains unclear, especially for aquatic organisms such as fish. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of parental co-exposure to DBP and DiBP on early development of zebrafish offspring, and to explore the potential molecular mechanisms involved. The early developmental indicators and transcriptomic profiles of F1 larvae were examined after parental exposure to DBP, DiBP and their mixtures (Mix) for 30 days. Results showed that parental exposure to DBP and DiBP, alone or in combination, resulted in increased hatchability at 48 hpf and heart rate at 96 hpf, and increased the prevalence of malformations and mortality in F1 larvae. Generalized linear model (GLM) suggested an antagonistic interactive effect between DBP and DiBP on mortality and malformations of F1 larvae. The transcriptomic analysis revealed that the molecular mechanisms of parental co-exposure were different from those of either chemical alone. Disruption of molecular functions involved unfolded protein binding, E-box binding and photoreceptor activity in F1 larvae. These findings provide initial insights in the potential mechanism of action of parental co-exposure to DBP and DiBP.

To explore the comprehensive utilization of agricultural wastes, solid-state fermentation was applied to residues of Flammulina velutipes (F. velutipes) and vinegar for use in culturing earthworms. Fermentation technology and earthworm culture technology were optimized by response surface methodology in this study. The optimal fermentation product for earthworm culture was obtained under an inoculum amount of 7.5%, fermentation temperature of 25.6 °C, pH 7.7 and protein content of 18.23%. The optimum culture conditions were a culture density of 18.4 individuals/dm3, an initial pH of 7.2 and a fermentation temperature of 26.8 °C. The daily weight gain multiplier of earthworms was 0.0387 units, and it increased significantly compared with that of the unfermented and cow dung groups. The fermented product of F. velutipes and vinegar residues could be used to culture earthworms and improve the metabolism and antioxidant capacities of earthworms. This provides a new way to comprehensively utilize agricultural waste resources.

Environmental pollution by the psychoactive drug diazepam (DZP) has been suggested to disrupt various behavioral traits of fishes. Exposure to DZP in natural waters may be of episodic duration, but there are few reports on the persistence of abnormal behaviors of fishes caused by such acute exposure. In the current study, we exposed juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) to sublethal doses of DZP (1200, 120, and 12 μg/L) for four days and evaluated their behavioral traits and brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels at days 0 (i.e., immediately after the 4-day exposure), 7, and 21 of the recovery period. Exposure to DZP induced short-term impairment of swimming ability and two-fish interactions of zebrafish. In contrast, DZP induced persistent and/or delayed effects on locomotor activity of zebrafish, i.e., hypoactivity at 1200 μg/L and hyperactivity at 120 and 12 μg/L, that could be still observed on days 7 and/or 21 during the recovery period. DZP exposure also exhibited concentration-specific effects on brain GABA levels in zebrafish, i.e., decreased at 1200 μg/L and increased at 120 and 12 μg/L. Correlation analysis suggested that the changes in brain GABA levels may contribute to the persistence of abnormalities in the locomotor activity of zebrafish. Our findings suggest that zebrafish need a long time to recover from acute exposure to DZP, thus highlighting that the persistence of behavioral abnormalities induced by such psychoactive drugs should be considered in order to better assess their risks in natural ecosystems.

The degenerative transfer of xanthates to olefins is enabled by the iridium-based photocatalyst [Ir{dF(CF3)ppy}2(dtbbpy)](PF6) under blue LED light irradiation. Detailed mechanistic investigations through kinetics and photophysical studies revealed that the process operates under a radical chain mechanism, which is initiated through triplet-sensitization of xanthates by the long-lived triplet state of the iridium-based photocatalyst.

A novel chemiluminescence immunoassay based on luminol-modified gold nanoclusters (AuNCs@Peps@luminol) was developed for simultaneous detection of tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA-DHEE) and tetrabromobisphenol A mono(hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA-MHEE), an important derivative and byproduct of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), respectively. In the system, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was labeled on the second antibody (Ab2) for signal amplification. When ALP-Ab2 was captured by antigen-primary antibody (Ab1) complex, disodium phenyl phosphate (PPNa) generated massive phenol under the catalysis of ALP, markedly inhibiting the chemiluminescence intensity of AuNCs@Peps@luminol. Under the optimized conditions, the calculated detection of limit (LOD, 90% inhibition) was 0.078 μg/L for TBBPA-DHEE with a linear range of 0.23–9.32 μg/L, which was lower 9 times than that of conventional ELISA with the same antibody. In addition, our method showed satisfactory accuracy and precision (recoveries, 88.00–113.4%; CV, 2.75–8.14%), it can be applied to systematically investigate the concentration of the trace TBBPA-DHEE and TBBPA-MHEE in environmental and food samples.

The two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (2D g-C3N4) shows excellent photocatalytic performance due to its graphene-like structure, unique electronic and optical property. However, the 2D g-C3N4 suffers from lower visible light utilization because of the quantum size effect. Herein, a new approach was developed to prepare the surface nitrogen modified 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets (NCNS) through a facile hydrothermal treatment route. The as-obtained NCNS exhibited a high hydrogen evolution rate of 19.8 mmol h−1 g−1 with a turnover number (TON) of 642.39 in 5 h, and the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.7% at 420 nm was superior to the g-C3N4 different morphological regulation. The surface nitrogen modification prompted electron delocalization of two-dimensional electron system, leading to accelerating photon-generated carrier separation and transportation efficiency.

Microbial reduction decolorization is a promising strategy for cationic azo dye pollution remediation, but the reduction mechanism is unclear yet. In this work, the anaerobic reduction decolorization mechanism of cationic red X-GRL (X-GRL) by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1) was investigated from both intracellular and extracellular aspects. The exogenous additional riboflavin treatment test was used to analyze the extracellular reduction mechanism of X-GRL, and the actual role of riboflavin during the reduction of X-GRL was identified by three-dimensional fluorescence analysis for the first time. The proteinase K and the electron competitor treatment tests were used to analyze the intracellular reduction mechanism of X-GRL. Moreover, the effect of external environment on the reduction mechanism of X-GRL was elucidated by the decolorization performance of MR-1 wild type and its mutants, ΔomcA/mtrC, ΔmtrA, ΔmtrB and ΔcymA, under different external pH conditions. The results indicated that X-GRL could be decolorized by MR-1 in both extracellular and intracellular spaces. The extracellular decolorization of X-GRL could be caused by Mtr respiratory pathway or the indirect reduction of riboflavin, while the intracellular decolorization might occur due to the intracellular reduction depending on CymA pathway and a NADH-dependent reduction catalyzed by intracellular azoreductases. Furthermore, the proportion of extracellular decolorization decreased, whereas that of intracellular decolorization increased as the environmental pH rose.

The structural characterization, antioxidant activity and protective effect against H2O2-induced injury RAW264.7 cells of a new polysaccharide (MP1) isolated from Lepidium meyenii Walp. were investigated. The molecular weight was estimated to be 4.67 × 105 Da by HPLC-ELSD analysis. Monosaccharide composition was determined to be arabinose and galactose in a molar ratio of 2:1 by GC-MS and PMP-HPLC-UV analysis. Methylation combined with 1D and 2D NMR spectrum analysis revealed that MP1 was an arabinogalactan. MP1 possessed a moderate antioxidant activity in vitro in DPPH, ABTS, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals scavenging, Fe2+ chelating, lipid peroxidation inhibition and reducing power assays. MP1 could also effectively protect RAW264.7 cells from H2O2-induced injury by maintaining stable cell viability, decreasing ROS, MDA and LDH level and enhancing SOD, GSH-Px and CAT activity. These results suggested the potential utilization of MP1 as a natural antioxidant for food and pharmaceutical applications.

An environment-friendly soil remediation method based on solid state photo-Fenton reagent was developed for remediation of the phenanthrene contaminated soil. The soil remediation process of solid state photo-Fenton reagent is different from the conventional homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton reagents (or photo-Fenton reagents). A solid state photo-Fenton reagent, mesoporous magnetite/carboxylate-rich carbon (MMCRC) composite, has been one step fabricated at a relative low carbonization temperature. In the porous structure of MMCRC, carbon serves as not only the binder to connect Fe3O4 nanoparticles and form the pore structure of MMCRC but also the supporter to solidify the carboxylate groups. Carboxylate groups solidified into carbon can coordinate with Fe3O4 nanoparticles and form the ferricarboxylate complexes. The excellent visible light absorption ability and photocatalytic activity of MMCRC originate from the ferricarboxylate complexes. Phenanthrene was chosen as a model to investigate the degrada...

A sensitive and artful colorimetric immunosensor based on horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was designed by labelling metal–organic frameworks (Cu-MOFs) on the second antibody (Cu-MOFs@Ab2) as signal amplification for the detection of trace dibutyl phthalate (DBP). In this system, when Cu-MOFs@Ab2 was captured by antigen- primary antibody (Ab1) complex, tremendous Cu(II) will be released from Cu-MOFs in the presence of nitric acid (HNO3), and Cu(II) will be further reduced to Cu(I) after the addition of sodium ascorbate (SA), consequently, inhibiting the HRP to catalyse the colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue oxidized TMB (ox TMB). Under the optimized conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) was 1 μg L−1, which was almost 60 times lower than that using a conventional ELISA with the same antibody. In addition, our method showed good accuracy and reproducibility (recoveries of 87.73–103.4%; CV values of 1.46–5.95%) through a spike-recovery analysis. The proposed immunosensor indicated great potential for trace DBP determination from environmental and food samples.

Shenzhen is a Chinese city with a very fast-paced work and life environment. Because people there are often under high pressure, fitness and sports have great benefits for their health. In order to study the correlation between inhabitants’fitness and sports activities and the community environment, a questionnaire is designed based upon a review of the literature on fitness behavior and the community environment, and then 595 inhabitants of Shenzhen are surveyed in 2016. The survey involved the demographic information of the subjects, their fitness and sports activities, and the satisfaction of spaces for sports in urban communities. Through analysis of the questionnaire data by cross tabulation, patterns of how and where people like to do exercise have been found. Jogging and walking are the most popular individual activities, where the preferred places are neighborhood gardens, urban squares and parks. The most popular team sports are badminton, table tennis and tennis, where the preferred places are professional fitness clubs, urban squares or parks. Gender differences significantly determine the choice of sport. Males tend to cycle or run individually, and to play ball games as a team. Females prefer to do yoga or eight section brocade individually, and square dance as a team. The factors influencing the satisfaction of places for exercise are ordered as follows: accessibility, fresh air and a clean environment, and low cost. The main requests from locals for the improvement of the recreation environment are the supply of more kinds of sports facilities and fields and better maintenance and management of sports facilities. Some urban design strategies for enhancing the community’s sports environment are recommended.

A low-molecular-weight fluorescent probe 1 (M.W. = 238.24) based on aurone was synthesized, and its application in fluorescent detection of Hg2+ in aqueous solution and living cells was reported. It exhibited an “on–off” fluorescent response toward Hg2+ in aqueous solution. Both the color and fluorescence changes of the probe were remarkably specific for Hg2+ in the presence of other common metal ions, satisfying the selective requirements for biomedical and environmental monitoring application. The probe has been applied in direct measurement of Hg2+ content in river water samples and imaging of Hg2+ in living cells, which further indicates the potential application values in environmental and biological systems.

0D/2D photocatalysts have aroused concern due to the high charge mobility. Herein, a 0D/2D structure is formed by employing a facile method to disperse Fe2O3 Quantum-Dots (QDs) on 2D-C3N4 without aggregation at a relatively low temperature of 200 °C. The ultrathin monolayer 2D structure, highly dispersed Fe2O3 QDs, the strong coupling as well as quantum-sized confinement effect between them lead to superior visible-light-driven photocurrent performance and photocatalytic activity. Particularly, the 0.5% Fe2O3 QDs/2D-C3N4 composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity under visible light. More importantly, the 0D/2D photocatalysts show superior durability with little photocatalytic activity decline in the circular reaction for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollution. Therefore, this work supplies a new opportunity to construct multifunctional 0D/2D photocatalysts for degradation of pollutants in water.

A novel, competitive, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was presented in this paper based on the inhibition of catalysis of AuNCs@BSA triggered by dissolved Ag+ for the detection of dibutyl phthalate (DBP). In the immunoassay system, numerous Ag+ was released from AgNPs (labelled on the second antibody, AgNPs@Ab2) in the presence of H2O2 after the competition step, preventing AuNCs@BSA from inducing a color change of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue. Due to the signal amplification by the principle, the sensitivity of the modified ELISA was improved with the low limit of detection (LOD) of 4.017μg/L for DBP, which was decreased 16 times relative to that using conventional ELISA with the same antibody. In addition, the established method showed satisfactory accuracy and reliability (recoveries, 85.75-117.73%; CV, 1.33-6.79%) in spike-recovery analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that AuNCs@BSA has been used in ELISA as a peroxidase-like catalyst. Our method shows great potential for trace DBP detection from environmental and food samples.

A simple two-step microwave-assisted method was developed for the preparation of adenine-modified graphene quantum dots (A-GQDs) with striking fluorescence properties. The prepared A-GQDs with the lateral size of 3–5 nm and single- to few-layer thickness exhibit intense fluorescence with a quantum yield of 21.63% (excited at 350 nm) and an average lifetime of 4.47 ns. The A-GQDs are biocompatible and present two-photon green fluorescence, which render them suitable for two-photon fluorescent cell imaging. More interestingly, we demonstrate for the first time that the A-GQDs also possess white light-activated antibacterial property. Due to their excellent photoluminescence performance and ease of biological conjugation, A-GQDs can be envisioned as an emerging role for many multifunctional biomedical applications.

TiO 2 /EDTA-rich carbon composites (TiO 2 /EDTA-RC) have been successfully synthesized via a low temperature carbonization process. TiO 2 /EDTA-RC exhibits marked absorption of visible light and excellent photoreduction of Cr(VI) activity under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Due to the high carboxyl group content and strong coordination ability of EDTA, TiO 2 -EDTA complex can be easily fabricated between EDTA incorporated in carbon sheet and titanol group on the surface of TiO 2 . TiO 2 -EDTA complexes on the surface of TiO 2 /EDTA-RC, the LMCT complex, are responsible for the prominent photoreduction of Cr(VI) properties of TiO 2 /EDTA-RC under visible light irradiation. In addition, the unique structure of TiO 2 /EDTA-RC is also propitious to the visible-light photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI). Carbon sheet of TiO 2 /EDTA-RC acts as a supporter. TiO 2 nanoparticles and EDTA homogeneously disperse into the carbon sheet supporter and form the TiO 2 -EDTA complexes, which can avoid the aggregation of TiO 2 nanoparticles in the aqueous solution and provide more photocatalytic reaction points for the reduction of Cr(VI).

Triclocarban (TCC) is a well-known antibacterial agent that is frequently detected in environmental, wildlife and human samples. The potential toxicological effects and action mechanism of TCC on vertebrate development has remained unclear. In the present study, we analyzed phenotypic alterations, thyroid hormone levels, thyroid hormone responsive genes, and proteomic profiles of zebrafish embryos after exposure to a series of concentrations of TCC from 6 h post-fertilization (hpf) to 120 hpf. The most nonlethal concentration (MNLC), lethal concentration 10% (LC10) and lethal concentration 50% (LC50) of TCC for exposures of 96 h were 133.3 μg/L, 147.5 μg/L and 215.8 μg/L, respectively. Our results showed that exposure to TCC decreased heart rate, delayed yolk absorption and swim bladder development at MNLC and LC10. Exposure to MNLC of TCC inhibited thyroid hormone and altered expression of thyroid hormone responsive genes. Furthermore, exposure to 1/20 MNLC of TCC altered expression of proteins related to binding and metabolism, skeletal muscle development and function, as well as proteins involved in nervous system development and immune response, indicating TCC has potential health risks in wildlife and humans at low concentration level.

Benchtop near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis was used for the classification and prediction of antioxidant properties of walnut. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ABTS assay and FRAP assay were performed spectrophotometrically. The synergy interval partial least square coupled competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (Si-CARS-PLS) was used for the prediction. A decent discrimination using principal component analysis (PCA) was observed by mean of spectroscopic and antioxidant properties data with total cumulative variance of 99.26% (PC1 = 95.07%, PC2 = 2.98%, PC3 = 1.21%) and 96.60% (PC1 = 64.28%, PC2 = 32.32%) respectively. The Si-CARS-PLS yielded optimal performance, RP = 0.9616, RPD = 3.807 for TPC, RP = 0.9657, RPD = 3.367 for TFC, RP = 0.9683, RPD = 2.728 for ABTS assay, and RP = 0.914, RPD = 2.669 for FRAP assay. These findings revealed that NIR integrated with Si-CARS-PLS could be used for the prediction of antioxidant properties of walnut.

The abuse of antibiotics is causing gradually increases drug-resistant bacterial strains, which pose a threat to economic development and human health around the world. Therefore, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active flower-like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was used to fabricate flexible paper-based SERS sensor to acquire magnified Raman signal of chloramphenicol in food samples for the development of a suitable prediction model at picogram levels employing artificial intelligence tools. Among the employed artificial intelligent tools, the multivariate scattering correction integrated competitive adaptive weighted-partial least squares (MSC-CARS-PLS) model showed best prediction efficiency over the concentration range 102 to 10−5 μg/mL with correlation coefficient of test = 0.9635, residual predictive deviation = 3.6686 and a limit of detection = 10−5 μg/mL. The recovery results range from 90 to 102% in real sample analysis and RSD was recorded 3.3% suggested that proposed sensor was rapid, reproducible and reliable for predicting CAP residue in food samples.

Tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA DHEE), as one of the TBBPA derivatives, is frequently applied as a flame retardant. To date, however, little evidence has been gathered regarding its environmental behavior and fate. This is mainly attributed to the lack of an analytical approach available to measure it. Mass spectrometry cannot determine levels of TBBPA DHEE. LC-MS could not ionize TBBPA DHEE to yield enough fragments, while GC-MS could not be applied for the analysis either, due to the thermal degradation of TBBPA DHEE. We here designed a novel hapten, then conjugated it with a carrier protein and produced a type of polyclonal antibody capable of recognizing TBBPA DHEE. Based on this approach, a sensitive and high-throughput indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established. The respective detection limit (LOD, based on 90% B/B0) and IC50 calculated from the standard curve were 0.702 and 9.868 ng/mL for TBBPA DHEE. And the established method showed good tolerance to various matrix interferents. Using our ELISA, we measured the concentrations of these substances from environmental water samples with no pretreatment other than filtration. We found the presence of TBBPA DHEE in environmental water samples collected in Jiangsu province, and the detected concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 7.7 ng/mL. Our proposed method here could be applied to completely and systematically investigate TBBPA DHEE and TBBPA MHEE concentrations in environmental samples.

On the basis of H2O2-mediated growth of gold nanoparticle (AuNPs), a novel plasmonic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (pELISA) was developed with a polyclonal antibody for the ultrasensitive simultaneous naked-eye detection of tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2-hydroxyetyl) ether (TBBPA DHEE) and tetrabromobisphenol A mono(hydroxyethyl) ether (TBBPA MHEE), one of the major derivatives and byproducts of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), respectively. In this modified indirect competitive pELISA, glucose oxidase (GOx) played an important role leading to the growth of AuNPs through a reaction between GOx and glucose to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In addition, further signal amplification was achieved via a large number of GOx molecules, which were immobilized on silica nanoparticles carrying poly brushes (SiO2@PAA) to increase the enzyme load, and the whole complex was conjugated on the second antibody. Under the optimized conditions, 10–3 μg/L TBBPA DHEE can be distinguished via the observation of a colored so...

The simultaneous and sensitive electrochemical detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers (hydroquinone, HQ; catechol, CC; resorcinol, RS) is of great significance because such isomers can be awfully harmful to the environment and human health. In this paper, by preparing poly(L-arginine) modified glassy carbon electrode (P-L-Arg/GCE) with a simple method, a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for simultaneously detecting HQ, CC and RS was constructed successfully due to the large surface area, good electronic properties and catalytic ability of P-L-Arg/GCE and the electrostatic action between P-L-Arg (positive) and targets (negative). Under the optimized conditions, the results show that the P-L-Arg/GCE has a wide linear range from 0.1 to 110.0 μM for HQ ,CC and RS. The detection limits for HQ, CC and RS are 0.01, 0.03 and 0.1 μM, respectively. Finally, the proposed sensor was successfully applied in real sample analysis.

Being harmful to the humans and environment, the highly sensitive detection of o-chlorophenol (o-CP) is very significant. In this paper, graphene nanoribbon (GNR) functionalized with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD-GNR) hybrids possessing synthetic effect of GNR (excellent electrochemical properties and large surface area) and HP-β-CD (high host-guest recognition and enrichment capability) were prepared and used to modify glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for detecting o-CP. The electrochemical sensing of o-CP was studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry, the results show that the oxidation current of o-CP at HP-β-CD-GNR/GCE is much higher than those at GNR/GCE and bare GCE owing to the synthetic effect of GNR and HP-β-CD. Under the optimum conditions, the HP-β-CD-GNR/GCE has a low detection limit (0.004 μM) with a wide linear range (0.01–16.0 μM) for o-CP. Finally, the developed method for detecting o-CP was successfully applied in real samples.

A simple and eco-friendly approach was used to prepare α-Fe2O3@graphene oxide (α-Fe2O3@GO) nanocomposites with different iron oxide content in lower temperature. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption techniques. The results show that α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with particle sizes of 60–100 nm are uniformly anchored on the surface of GO nanosheets at lower hydrothermal reaction. The specific surface area of α-Fe2O3@GO (114.57 m2/g) was about threefold larger than that of pure iron oxide (33.37 m2/g). Moreover, α-Fe2O3@GO nanocomposites with optimal mass ratio (8:1) between iron oxide and GO, which exhibited enhanced response to 100 ppm ethanol (14.82) in comparison with pure α-Fe2O3 (3.48) at 260 °C. The improved sensitive performance is in contact with larger surface area and incremental active sites in interface owing to introducing GO. The results reveal that GO is crucial to improve gas sensing performance.

The structure and function of naturally occurring proteins are governed by a large number of amino acids (≥100). The design of miniature proteins with desired structures and functions not only substantiates our knowledge about proteins but can also contribute to the development of novel applications. Excellent progress has been made towards the design of helical proteins with diverse functions. However, the development of functional β-sheet proteins remains challenging. Herein, we describe the construction and characterization of four-stranded β-sheet miniproteins made up of about 19 amino acids that bind heme inside a hydrophobic binding pocket or "heme cage" by bis-histidine coordination in an aqueous environment. The designed miniproteins bound to heme with high affinity comparable to that of native heme proteins. Atomic-resolution structures confirmed the presence of a four-stranded β-sheet fold. The heme-protein complexes also exhibited high stability against thermal and chaotrope-induced unfolding.

ZnSnO3 hollow microspheres were synthesized by a simple one-pot template-free and general in-situ precipitation method combined with subsequent dehydration treatment. The prepared ZnSnO3 hollow microspheres were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry analysis (TG-DSC). The results showed that ZnSnO3 hollow microspheres with diameter ranging from 1.3 to 1.6 μm were constructed by small nanoparticles with diameter of about 70 nm. The investigation on the evolution formation revealed that the orientation and morphology of the products were carefully controlled by adjusting the amount of the addition of NaOH and the growth time, and a possible formation mechanism of the hollow structure was proposed. Moreover, the as-fabricated sensors based on the ZnSnO3 hollow microspheres showed superior gas-sensing properties for the detection of ethanol than ZnSnO3 solid spheres and can detect ethanol in the real life.

Fe3O4-TiO2 heterostructures were synthesized through co-precipitation method based on TiO2 nanobelts. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibration sample magnetometry (VSM) were used to characterize the heterostructure nanocomposites. The results of XRD proved that the TiO2 nanobelt was anatase which was the most suitable crystal form for photocatalysis. SEM and TEM analysis indicated that Fe3O4 nanoparticles were adhere to TiO2 nanobelts which have one-dimensional structure with 100–200 nm in width. The VSM measurements showed that the photocatalyst can be easily recovered by an extemal magnetic field. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Ag@Fe3O4-TiO2 nanocomposites studies confirm that Ag is in Ag0 state. Finally, the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) by the obtained magnetic photocatalyst was investigated via UV–vis absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was observed to be lower compared to bare TiO2 due to the higher degree of recombination reactions after combined with Fe3O4 nanoparticles. After coated the composite of 15% Fe3O4-TiO2 with Ag, the new nanocomposite of Ag@Fe3O4-TiO2 can be easily recovered after photocatalysis by an extemal magnetic field and showed enhanced photocatalytic activity. The mechanisms for the exhibited enhanced photocatalytic effect of Ag nanoparticle decorated Fe3O4-TiO2 nanocomposites with surface heterostructures are discussed.

A solid state ferricarboxylate photocatalyst, magnetite/carboxylate-rich carbon sheets (MCRCSs), was synthesized in air via a low-temperature carbonization process. In the structure of MCRCSs, both Fe3O4 nanoparticles and EDTA are homogeneously dispersed into carbon sheets forming ferricarboxylate complexes. Abundant ferricarboxylate complexes endow the MCRCSs with marked visible light absorption properties. MCRCSs exhibit excellent visible-light-driven photoreduction activities of Cr(VI). Fe(II), O2˙−, and carboxylate radicals (R-COO)n3−n* produced from the Fe(II)/Fe(III) photoredox cycle of MCRCSs are the main reductants for the reduction of Cr(VI). After the photoreduction of Cr(VI), MCRCSs can be magnetically separated from aqueous solution easily. Unlike a conventional ferricarboxylate photocatalyst (homogeneous and heterogeneous) fabricated from two components, iron species (dissolved or solid) and dissolved low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids, MCRCSs exist in the all solid state and every particle of MCRCSs is an individual unit which can release active radicals O2˙− by itself. The special nature of the all solid state will simplify the operation process of MCRCSs.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has aroused great concern since it applied to the photocatalytic process. However, the inherent shortcomings of bulk g-C3N4, such as small active surface area, low separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers, sluggish charge transport process, etc., result in low-level photocatalytic performance. The rich-nitrogen carbon nitride nanotubes (CNNTs) made by an easy supermolecule self-assembly method could slove these subsisting problems. The CNNTs with unique morphology possess superior separation/migration of photo-excited charge carriers and enhanced photocatalytic performance. Under irradiation with visible light (λ > 400 nm), measured with Pt (3 wt%) as co-catalyst, the CNNTs have a hydrogen evolution rate of 18.06 mmol h−1 g−1 and its apparent quantum yield (AQY) is 12.55% (420 nm). The CNNTs are also applied to degrade antibiotics with simultaneous hydrogen production, providing a method for alleviating energy crisis and environmental pollution issues. The degradation rate of bisphenol A (BPA) is 92% and simultaneously with 13.63 μmol photocatalytic hydrogen generation after irradiation for 5 h.

The prevalence of adolescent type 2 diabetes mellitus (A-T2DM) is increasing year by year. Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a widely used plasticizer, could exacerbate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study aimed to investigate the metabolic toxicity, susceptibility and mechanism of DEHP exposure to A-T2DM. DEHP was administered orally (0, 0.18, 1.8, 18, and 180 mg/kg/day) for 3 weeks to adolescent normal mice (A-normal mice) and established A-T2DM mice. The results of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels showed that the susceptibility of A-T2DM mice to DEHP exposure was more significant than that of A-normal mice. DEHP, interfering with glucose and lipid metabolism of A-normal and A-T2DM mice, caused the body weight increase of A-normal mice and decrease of A-T2DM mice. Besides, DEHP could cause more injury of cardiovascular, hepatic and renal function to A-T2DM mice than A-normal mice. Hepatic transcriptome analysis revealed that DEHP exposure interfered with the biological feedback adjustment of endocrine and metabolic system in A-T2DM mice and then led to the development of T2DM. According to the transcriptome results, insulin signaling transduction pathway was applied and researched by immunoassay. It was discovered that DEHP reduced insulin sensitivity and disturbed insulin signaling transduction, glucose utilization, lipid synthesis and protein synthesis. Collectively, DEHP could disturb the endocrine and metabolic functions and increase the insulin resistance in adolescent mice. Moreover, the adolescent T2DM mice are more sensitive to DEHP-induced endocrine and metabolic toxicity than the healthy adolescent mice.